


Mama Knows Best

by Marmeladeskies



Series: All For The Game Prompt Fills From My Tumblr [13]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Fluff, Jeremy's family, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Pining, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 11:15:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18234122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marmeladeskies/pseuds/Marmeladeskies
Summary: Jean meets Jeremy's family.





	1. Chapter 1

“Do I look okay?”, Jean asks for the 100th time, and for the 100th time, Jeremy tells him yes, he does look okay. Jean looks more than okay, but Jeremy doesn’t say that out loud.

Jean is wearing a button up shirt, light blue, and the way it’s tight around his chest and biceps makes Jeremy want to just grab his arms and hold on to them.

They’re waiting for their luggage at the airport. It has taken Jeremy a long time trying to convince Jean to come home with Jeremy for the holidays, but he’s eventually persuaded him into it.

“You really don’t need to be nervous about meeting my parents, Jean.”, Jeremy reassures him (also for the 100th time). “They’ll love you. My dad will probably talk about nothing but Exy to you and Ma will stuff you with food until you burst. That’s the worst possible outcome of this.”

Jean shoots him a nervous smile and rubs the back of his neck. “Still.”

“It’s gonna be fine.”, Jeremy tells him firmly with another bright smile, “Oh look, our suitcases!”

 

-

 

Mrs Knox is a round, sweet southern lady who carries a handbag as big as a suitcase, wears a little too much lipstick and hugs Jean immediately upon seeing him, even before Jeremy.

“You must be Jean! Our boy has been telling us so much about you!” She pushes him away to arm’s length, holding on to his shoulders, and gives him the same beaming smile that Jean often sees on her son’s face: open, warm and sweet. “What a handsome fella!”

“Ma…!”, Jeremy blushes and shakes his head with a sheepish grin.

“Th-thank you, Mrs Knox. Thanks for having me.”, Jean stutters, blushing as well and a little overwhelmed, but smiling back.

“Oh, knock that right off, darlin’! Call me Darlene!”

Jean is a little overwhelmed but laughs just like Jeremy does. Luckily, Mr. Knox, who seems a little less excitable leans in to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you, son.”

Jean nods and smiles politely. “Thank you, sir. Really, thank you for having me.”

“Let’s get you boys home, you sure look hungry! Don’t they feed you at college?” Mrs Knox pinches her sons cheek, “I made some fried chicken for you. Jeremy, take Jean’s bag! He’s your guest!”

 

-

 

It’s like a proper sleepover, and it’s great. Jean sleeps on a guest bed in Jeremy’s room because the Knox’s house doesn’t have a guest room since all of Jeremy’s siblings are home. Neither of them minds, though. They’ve been rooming together for a year now, it would probably feel weird not to hear each other breathe at night.

“Your parents are really nice.” Jean stares at the ceiling in the dark.

Jeremy chuckles lightly. “I guess. They like you.”

Jean can’t help but smile and wonder why that makes him so happy.

 

-

 

Some days later, Jean wakes up before Jeremy, and decides to go downstairs to see if there’s tea (Mrs. Knox is always up at the ass crack of dawn, apparently).

There are voices in the kitchen, and Jean is about to knock and enter politely, when he overhears something.

“…a nice fella. I wouldn’t mind if Jerry liked him.” It sounds like Mrs. Knox is on the phone. “…uh-huh… yeah… exactly… better than that football player when he was still in high school. …yeah, that one!” She scoffs, “I said to him, I said, Jerry, you need a man who treats ya right. …yeah! Much better. And he’s french! Isn’t that exotic?” She giggles like a school girl and Jean feels his cheeks heat up. “…nah, I won’t say anything. These kids need to figure that out themselves!” Mrs Knox clucked and hummed, “But, Brenda, let me tell you, the way they look at each other… there’s a whole lotta sparks flying!” She laughs, and Jean finally snaps out of his frozen state.

Slowly, he turns around and then hurries up the stairs as silently as possible.

He locks himself in the bathroom for half an hour, sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, and goes downstairs again only when his heart has stopped beating up into his throat.

Later, when he’s eating cereal and Jeremy enters in sweatpants and the crop top he sleeps in, and Jean’s cheeks tinge just the tiniest bit of pink, Mrs Knox throws them a knowing smile.


	2. Chapter 2

“You know, Ma and Da ship you and Jean.” Eliza lets her head dangle backwards over the backrest of the couch. Jeremy, who is leaning in the doorframe, watching TV over her shoulder with a can of soda in his hands, says nothing for a moment.

“…what?”

“They think you and tall-dark-and-handsome would be nice together. I think so too, by the way.” Eliza watches her brother’s expression go through several emotions at once, before he opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again but doesn’t say anything.

“What are we talking about?” Their oldest brother, Dylan, shoves by Jeremy and flops down on one of the armchairs, looking between his siblings expectantly.

 

“Nothing.”, Jeremy answers, and at the same time, Eliza replies: “Our brother’s new boyfriend.”

“Oh! Are you guys official already? Why did noone tell me?!”, Dylan gives his little brother a broad smile. “He seems real nice!”

Jeremy can feel his cheeks heat up as he shakes his head. “He’s not.. We’re not…!”

“But you liiiiike him!”, Eliza sing-songs, turning backwards on the couch now so she’s kneeling on it and grinning at Jeremy over the backrest, “you think he’s cuuuuute.”

“Stop!”, Jeremy hushes her, but he can feel a bashful smile tug at his lips.

Eliza and Dylan exchange a triumphant little grin.

“You liiiiike him!”, Eliza continues and Jeremy laughs, flushing red and hiding his face in the neckline of his shirt.

“Elly, stop!”, he whines and his siblings laugh.

“You’re in luuuuurve with him! Sweet gay looooove.”, Dylan joins in and Jeremy glares at him over the hem of his neckline.

“Dyl, I really thought you’d-”

“Who’s in love?”, Jean asks from behind Jeremy, coming down the stairs, and Jeremy has half a heart attack while his siblings start cackling like hyenas.

“Jeremy!”, Eliza squeals as Jean peers over Jeremy’s shoulder with a curious and confused little smile.

“You’re in love? With whom?”, Jean asks and damnit, Jeremy has never felt more embarrassed. He shoots Eliza a death glare, and grapples for an explanation.

“…with Exy.” Oh my god.

“…you’re in…”, Jean quotes Dylan, “ ‘sweet gay love’ with Exy?”

“Well, don’t they say it’s the new gay sport? I have to go, guys, sorry, I’m late for my morning run, or, uh, I think I heard Ma call, I better-…” Jeremy honest to god runs from the living room.

“…they do call it the new gay sport.”, Dylan agrees.

Jean is still looking very confused, staring at the spot next to him where Jeremy just vanished from.

The conversation doesn’t let Jean go. Jeremy’s in love? Fine, good for him. Really. Good. Great. Awesome. He just hopes whoever the lucky person is treats Jeremy right, because otherwise, Jean might have to have a word with them. He’s sworn off violence (with Jeremy’s help) but he can still look intimidating. Yeah.

Jeremy doesn’t meet his eyes for the whole day, and the day after.

They’re at the beach when Jean finally finds the courage to ask Jeremy about it. They’re on their fancy little insulated beach blanket (courtesy of Mrs. Knox), both of them with their respective books (Jean keeps borrowing books from Jeremy, none of them are about sports and all of them are great) and Jean has to read one sentence over and over again before he gently closes it and turns to his side, propping his elbow up and leaning his head into his hand.

Jeremy ignores him for about half a minute, before he glances over, a little smile spreading on his face while the hint of a blush spreads on his cheeks and oh. Oh. Ohhh damnit.

“What? You’re staring.”

Jean grapples to find his voice quickly, and luckily, it cooperates.

“You know, I’m still wondering who you’re in ‘sweet gay love’ with.”

Jeremy laughs bashfully and lets his head drop into his book, hiding his face. “Please, let’s not talk about that. That was just my siblings being stupid.”

Jean is quiet for a moment. Jeremy obviously doesn’t want to tell, but he still has to make sure that person’s good for him (Jeremy has proven in the past that he’s not always the best to judge certain character flaws in his partners, always seeing the best in people and all).

“Is he nice at least?” He goes out there with the pronoun, but Jeremy confirms it with a little nod.

He looks up from his book, cheeks fully flushed now, chewing on his bottom lip and a parade of colorful french swear words pop up in Jean’s head. ‘Dieu, pourquoi je ne prenais jamais conscience de ça?’

”He is.”, Jeremy says slowly, and averts his eyes to smile at his book. “He’s very nice. And handsome.”

“Well.” Jean almost chokes on the word and forces a smile, “Good for you, then. Maybe I’ll meet him soon?”

Jeremy snorts, and Jean furrows his eyebrows. “…yeah. Maybe.”


End file.
